Boulder History Museum reveals plans for new home

Move to Masonic Lodge building spells nearly tenfold space increase

Rendering of planned Boulder History Museum at former Masonic Lodge building.

Boulder History Museum officials envision a more open, inviting space at the former Masonic Lodge building, with an expanded front porch facing Broadway and a 1,500-square-foot rooftop patio.

The history museum entered into a contract in November to buy the former Masonic Lodge at Broadway and Pine in downtown Boulder and plans to move from its existing space in the Harbeck House, 1206 Euclid, on University Hill to the new space by fall 2014.

The Masonic Lodge building, designed by architect James Hunter, who also designed the Municipal Building, offers 14,000 square feet, including large open rooms with high ceilings that create a "blank slate" for exhibits. In contrast, the Harbeck House offers just 1,500 square feet of exhibit space in cramped rooms.

However, as a structure built for a secret society, the exterior is rather imposing.

History museum officials expect to file their plans, developed with assistance from Vince Porreca of Porreca and Associates and OZ Architecture, with the city for site and use review on Tuesday.

Those plans call for a larger front porch along Broadway, a ramp to make the building wheelchair-accessible, a garden-level patio connected to a walk-out basement on the south side of the building and a rooftop patio. The history museum also plans to do significant landscaping around the building to soften the mass while preserving the historic architecture.

Museum officials expect to hold a community meeting to get feedback on the plan in the next several weeks, but that meeting has not been scheduled yet.

"We think that the new museum will be a tremendous amenity for the community, but we want to design it in a way that is respectful of our new neighbors," museum CEO Nancy Geyer said in a press release.

In addition to telling the story of Boulder's history, the new, larger museum will feature interactive exhibits related to science, technology, natural foods, and athletics, all part of Boulder's distinct culture and legacy. The museum also will house a children's discovery zone that features interactive, educational experiences for young people.

New coordinator pushes Buffs to work, play at level he expectsJim Leavitt has discovered this much about his new defense at Colorado: He has some talent with which to work, but his players need to put it in another gear. Full Story